Introduction
Infantile diarrhea, one of the commonly encountered diseases in pediatrics, is usually due to improper diet, bacterial and viral infection in the intestines. The main clinical manifestations are frequent defecation, abdominal flatulence and borborygmus as well as watery stool. According to TCM this disease is caused by exogenous pathogenic factors, improper diet, hypofunction of the spleen and stomach, dysfunction of the spleen and stomach in transformation and transportation as well as interaction between lucid and turbid materials in the intestines. This disease mainly involves the spleen and stomach. However, prolongation may affect the kidney.
Syndrome Differentiation
1. Diarrhea due to Damp-heat
The symptoms are loose stool with yellow color and foul odor, abdominal pain, fever, thirst, burning sensation in the anus, scanty and brownish urine, reddish tongue with yellowish greasy coating as well as slippery and rapid pulse.
2. Diarrhea due to Dyspepsia
The symptoms are loose stool with milk clot or food residue and putrid odor like bad egg, crying, anorexia, unpressable abdominal pain, belching or vomiting, light-reddish tongue with thick and greasy or yellowish and dirty coating.
3. Diarrhea due to Yang Asthenia
The symptoms are prolonged diarrhea, loose stool or stool with indigested food in it, or accompanied by prolapse of the anus, cold sensation in the limbs and body, pale complexion, dispiritedness or even cold limbs, light-colored tongue with whitish coating as well as deep and thin pulse.
Treatment
1. Body Acupuncture
Prescription: Tianshu (ST 25) and Zusanli (ST 36).
Modification: For damp-heat, Quchi (LI 11) and Neiting (ST 44) are added; for severe fever, Dazhui (GV 14) and Hegu (LI 4) are added; for severe dampness, Yinlingquan (SP 9) is added; for dyspepsia, Zhongwan (CV 12), Neiting (ST 44) and Sifeng (EX-UE 10) are added; for diarrhea due to yang asthenia, Pishu (BL 20), Shenshu (BL 23) and Guanyuan (CV 4) are added.Performance: Needling without retention of needles is suitable for the treatment of the infants under the age of 4. for the treatment of diarrhea due to damp-heat and dyspepsia, Sifeng (EX-UE 10) is pricked with three-edged needle to let a little yellowish liquid; for the treatment of diarrhea due to yang asthenia, the acupoints are needled with reinforcing needling technique or warmed needle or moxibusted with moxaroll or Guanyuan (CV 4) is moxibusted with big moxa-cone.|
2. Moxibustion
Prescription: Shenque (CV 8), Guanyuan (CV 4) and Changqiang (GV 1).
Performance: Shenque (CV 8) is moxibusted with the cushion of salt; Guanyuan (CV 4) and Changqiang (GV 1) are moxibusted with moxaroll or moxa-cone once a day. Moxibustion therapy is applicable to the treatment of diarrhea due to yang asthenia.